WGN America is ready to down some whiskey with Aaron Paul.
The cable network has put into development Blood and Whiskey, a drama based on the life of whiskey guru Jack Daniel, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Based on Peter Krass‘ biography Blood and Whiskey: The Life and Times of Jack Daniel, the project tells the harrowing true tale of Jack Daniel, the boy distiller, teenage moonshiner and outlaw who built the world’s biggest whiskey empire out of the ashes of the Civil War.
Andrew Colville (Mad Men, Lone Star) will pen the script for the drama and executive produce alongside Stan Spry and Jeff Holland of The Cartel, Drew Brown at Fascination Street and Breaking Bad grad Paul and Zack Beckman at Lucid Road Productions. A studio is not yet attached.
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Colville is wrapping up his run as an executive producer on the fourth and final season of Turn at AMC, where he is developing Bone Wars with Craig Silverstein. Former unscripted producer Brown (Project Runway) has multiple scripted projects in development, including NBC’s Jennifer Lopez drama C.R.I.S.P.R. as well as a single-camera comedy with Mila Kunis at Hulu.
Jack Daniel’s is the top-selling American whiskey in the world. Known for its square bottles, the company sells tens of millions of cases per year. Krass‘ book is the first-ever biography of Daniel and traces his life story from his childhood when he left his family to his work as a teen distiller and ultimately his becoming the king of Tennessee whiskey.
For WGN America, the drama arrives as the cable network has found success on the scripted side with Underground and Outsiders after launching with since-canceled entries Salem and Manhattan.
Colville is with WME and The Cartel; Brown is with CAA; and Paul is with UTA.
